


When Push Comes to Shove

by razodazol



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alya Césaire Is The Best, Angst warning now some sad stuff happens 2 our catboy, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Lila Rossi's Lies Are Exposed, Minor Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Multi, POV Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Protective Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Revenge, This is an Adrien gets revenge fic basically, bffs alya and adrien, but it's in the name of defending marinette so it's good, call them schemers, no editing we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-15 16:27:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28941447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/razodazol/pseuds/razodazol
Summary: When Adrien first formulated his, ‘get Lila to leave Marinette alone and eventually expose her’ plan, he knew there would be a lot of risk involved. He had to keep a balance in place. Placating Lila and his father were on one side, and on the other side was his devotion to his friends.In other words: The fic where Adrien gets epic revenge on Lila and loses his friends all in the same month.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe
Comments: 29
Kudos: 155





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Hihihihi before we start this fic i gotta let y'all know there's gonna be some angsty stuff happening. If anything is specific there will be a tw at the beginning of each chapter. There's going to be mild talks of modeling industry/body image, and a focus on Adrien's mental health throughout this story. Just wanted 2 give a heads up that while this story is SILLY it's also SAD because I am a gemini and this is how i be sometimes.

When Adrien first formulated his, ‘get Lila to leave Marinette alone and eventually expose her’ plan, he knew there would be a lot of risk involved. He had to keep a balance in place. Placating Lila and his father were on one side, and on the other side was his devotion to his friends. Normally this balance existed on a slight skew, always tilted towards his father’s side. That was how it had to be, at least, that’s what he thought it had to be. 

So, his plan took longer to execute. He couldn’t do what Marinette did, no matter how admirable he found her actions to be. He couldn’t call Lila a liar to her face, or point out how manipulative she truly was. Adrien had to play a baited game, he had to fake everything, which sucked. He was good at it, but it didn’t make him feel any better. If he was lying to his friends, was he really any better than Lila? 

“You look distracted tonight, kitty. Is everything okay?”

He sighed through his nose, he probably shouldn’t be thinking about such personal matters while they were patrolling. He couldn’t help it, Lila was consuming every thought in his head. Maybe that wasn’t healthy.. 

“Yeah, everything’s fine just.. Got some stuff going on outside of this, you know how it is.”

“Oho, the elusive Chat Noir has problems in his civilian life?” Ladybug sat down next to him, and he couldn’t help the way he deflated. 

He couldn’t even keep up his persona with the mask on. He really needed to get Lila done and over with, if how he felt outside of the mask was affecting him as a hero- that was a recipe for disaster. 

“Chatton?” 

“Sorry, m’lady, spaced out for a second.”   
  
“This must be worse than I thought.”

He nodded, “It’s a lot, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

“Do you wanna talk about it? I’m always here if you need me. You know that, right?”

“Of course I know that,” he laughed, looking out across Paris. The sun had set hours ago, and the lights of the city winked up at them as they watched from above. 

“Soo..?” Ladybug pushed his shoulder gently, and he shook his head. 

Really, he wished he could tell her everything. Ladybug was the closest friend he ever had, the only person that truly knew and understood him. He wanted to explain everything, about Lila, his plans, the stress his father was giving him. But he couldn’t, 

“I’m afraid that could run the risk of you figuring out who I really am. As much as I wish I could tell you what’s going on…” 

  
“I understand,” Ladybug smiled at him and put her hand on his knee. He let himself smile. He couldn’t help it when he was with her. “But if there’s anything I can help you with, please let me know.”

“You’re too kind.”

He laughed when she booped his nose with her finger, “Don’t make me take it back now.”

  
“I wouldn’t dream of it. We should probably start actually patrolling the streets,” He needed to get his mind off of things, do literally anything else. He pulled himself off the ground and stretched, “Before it gets too late, at least.” 

“Is that a challenge, Chat?” 

He grinned cheekily, extending his staff, with a hardy laugh, “Yup!” 

“You-” 

“Catch me if you can, m’lady!” 

Why couldn’t he be like this all the time? 

***

  
Adrien sighed, blowing some hair out of his face as he wrote down notes in class. It was easy to get caught up in the memories of the previous night’s patrol. They were far more interesting than the repetition he was going through at public school. Don’t get him wrong, he was seriously grateful for the experience but as of late, everything Madame Bustier was teaching was something he had learned years prior. 

He didn’t realize how ahead he was compared to the average student, oh well. He would use what he knew to help his friends out. At least he could use his smarts that way. They were coming upon final exam season, and he knew how both Nino and Marinette stressed about it last semester. Maybe he could tutor them? He needed to bring that up to his father, too. With exams coming up, he would need to lessen his work schedule. 

Which meant, Lila would be doing shoots on her own. He straightened his posture. There was no way this opportunity was going to fall in his lap and he wasn’t going to take it. This was his chance to take the separation from her that he needed to figure out what to do about her or- 

No, he had a better idea. He could cut her off now, his father wouldn’t think twice about it if it was for the sake of his schooling. He had to bet on that. He looked back up at Madame Bustier as she sat back down at her desk. Cool, that meant they were supposed to revise notes, answer questions in the packet she provided, and in his case, raise his hand to ask a question, 

“Yes, Adrien?” 

“Would it be okay if I stepped out in the hall to make a phone call? It’ll only take a quick second?” 

He felt Nino’s elbow catch his side but he ignored him as he reached into his bag for his phone. 

“Of course, than you for asking. Take three minutes.”

Adrien smiled, “Thank you, Madame,” with his phone in hand, he slid out of his desk and out of the room. He kept his promise to his teacher and stood in the hallway, leaning against the wall as he dialed Nathalie’s number. 

He knew better than to try and call his father in the middle of a school day. He wouldn’t waste precious time waiting for his voicemail. God forbid if there was an emergency. He felt himself roll his eyes. God- his time with Lila was seriously making him jaded. 

The phone rang twice before Nathalie picked up, and Adrien spoke before she could, 

“Hi, Nathalie, I only have a few minutes. I just wanted to ask what the soonest date would be for me to have a sit down conversation with my father?”

“Is it serious?” Nathalie kept her voice as even as possible but Adrien could pick up on her slightly confused tone. 

“Uhm.. yeah, it really is.” 

  
“Okay, give me a moment.”

  
“Thank you,” he tapped his fingers against his thigh, looking back at the classroom door. He probably had 90 seconds left, and he could see the shadows of someone trying to look through the window. Probably Alya- maybe Marinette, he couldn’t tell. 

Nathalie was quiet for exactly ten seconds, 

“You can speak with him tomorrow morning at breakfast. Does that work?” 

“That’s perfect, thank you Nathalie. See you soon.” 

“Ah- see you soon, Adrien.” 

He hung up the phone quickly and walked back into the classroom. Maybe, luck was finally on his side. 

Before he took his seat he looked up at Lila as she glared daggers at him. How nobody else noticed was beyond him but it didn’t take long for him to sit back down and return to his notes. 

He was one step closer, his plan was finally settling into place. 


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel's attempt at being a decent parent, Adrien's attempt at winning his father's favor and getting a mild concussion all in the same day. It really is cursed luck to be the bearer of the black cat miraculous, huh?

Adrien spent the previous night preparing for his meeting with his father. Realistically, he knew how he had to go about it now. Enough failed conversations with him gave him the experience to understand that he could not talk to his father how other kids talked to theirs. He had to approach his father like a business partner, and fortunately, Adrien spoke business very well. Even he could admit he wasn’t the greatest when talking to people casually, especially those in his own age group. 

But, his father and mother engrained business etiquette in him at a young age, preparing him for every topic that could come up in an interview. The art of speaking eloquently was something he never forgot. 

And he was going to use it today, definitely. He went over it with Plagg, and he couldn’t find a single line out of place. As he thought about it, he could feel the kwami shift in his shirt pocket, his warm weight comforting against his chest. 

He looked up at the clock in the dining room, he was waiting for his father to join him. Five more minutes, and his father should be down. Adrien left his breakfast untouched, with the way his stomach kept flopping over from anxiety, he wasn’t sure he could manage it. Besides, if his father asked, he’d use modeling as an excuse. It would work, hopefully. 

After a few more minutes of waiting, he watched Nathalie enter the room, his father hot on her heels before he took his place at the opposite side of the table. His demeanor was already like a stone, unyielding, yet somehow irritated. Adrien curled his hands into fists under the table to stop them from shaking. 

He got this far, might as well get out with it. One breath in.. out, okay, you got this. Pretend your father is just someone interviewing you. 

“Good morning, Father.” 

“Good morning, Adrien,” his father took both his fork and knife in hand. Adrien did not take his eyes off him. “What is this meeting about? Nathalie told me it was urgent,” the tone of annoyed inflection was deep in his father’s early morning rasp.

Adrien nodded, copying his father’s movements, but not daring to touch the food on his plate, “Yes, it’s quite important. It’s in regards to my modeling work.” 

His father’s brows knitted together, Adrien continued. 

“I wanted to ask if we could postpone some of the shoots this week and next week. It’s finals week at school, and I need to work on a couple of subjects if I want my grades to meet my standards.” 

“You have a runway show this weekend, Adrien, don’t be foolish.”

Adrien flicked his eyes up to meet his father’s. The harsh sea of gray-blue was unwavering, but Adrien would fight against it, this time. This wasn’t even for himself, this was for Marinette, for everyone. 

“I didn’t say I wanted to postpone the runway show, that’s on the weekend, I can manage that. Truth be told, working with Lila Rossi makes the photoshoots run hours behind schedule. For this week, I need her to either be removed from them, or to postpone them for myself.” 

For a moment, his father was silent. The pause in the air was thick, tension beginning to grow. Adrien wanted to give in, to submit, but his father had nothing to say yet. There was nothing to submit to, not yet. 

“You never mentioned her making the shoots run late.” 

Adrien sighed, heavily, “She told me you gave her the job directly, and I trust you in your decisions,” Adrien sliced his fried egg in half, and watched the yolk pool out, “But, she’s still new to the modeling scene, and not quite to the level everyone else is. Everyone needs time to grow into their art, of course. But, during a week like finals week, I can’t risk wasting a second of my time.” 

“Adrien-”

“Father, I’m being serious here. I would not have requested this meeting if I was not concerned, many people go to my school, if I flunked an exam and anyone found out, it’s a risk that could hit the public.”

He heard his father scoff, but he continued, 

“I don’t want something like that happening, so, I suppose what I’m asking is if the photographers would mind waiting until next week to get these shoots done,” then he looked up to Nathalie, and he didn’t miss the way she looked upon him with a wide, shocked gaze. 

But, she started typing on her tablet, rapidly. It seemed as though she was requesting the postpone before his father even gave the yes. He would ride this victory. 

Adrien looked back to his father, 

“I didn’t realize you took your schooling quite so seriously. I thought public school would be easy for you, not nearly as challenging as what you were receiving here.” 

He wasn’t sure if that was a dig or not, so he shrugged, “Chemistry is always challenging if you’re coming up with your own labs. The same week I have my school finals I also have a fencing competition, and an oral exam for my chinese lessons. I cannot fall behind in those either.” 

His father hummed, “I see..” 

Adrien crossed one leg over the other, “That’s why I’m asking for the decreased workload, if this was any other week, I wouldn’t make such a request, especially since after the fencing competition-”

“You will be spending the evening with Kagami, I know.”

He nodded, and waited for his father’s response. The silence felt deadly, but he didn’t let it show for once. He wouldn’t cower, not this time. 

His father finally turned towards Nathalie, and said, “Tell the photographers we’ll be moving both the cologne photoshoot, and the sweater line for next week and the week afterwards.”

“Yes sir.” 

Adrien’s heart beat faster, no way. His father didn’t- but he did. He totally did. He wished he could smile, he wanted to beam at his father. Instead he kept his lips pressed together in a thin like, purposefully leaving his face void of any emotion. 

When his father looked back at him, his eyes widened. It was an expression Adrien didn’t miss. For a second, and only that, his father looked shocked, but the expression was quickly changed out for a blank stern one. 

“Thank you father, I really appreciate it, we have a few more minutes left in our meeting-”

“Adrien?”

Adrien blinked a few times, “Yes?” 

“Are you feeling alright?” 

He nodded, and this time, he smiled, but kept it tight, “Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”

“You don’t sound… quite like yourself today.” 

How would you know? His inner voice screamed to him. It’s not like you talk to me enough to know. 

Adrien sighed, and chuckled, “I dunno, I just feel different today, I guess. Speaking of, I wanted to ask for something else.” 

“Go on.”

“I was wondering if we could change the clothes I wear. I find that this style doesn’t quite suit me anymore.” 

That got the reaction Adrien wanted out of his father. The look of blatant shock on his face was something he wanted to etch into his memory forever. In Adrien’s core, it felt satisfying to stir that kind of emotional response out of his father. Nothing had done it before, no victory, no success. 

But apparently this did. 

Adrien would keep it in mind. He didn’t know where this desire came from, to see his father like this, but it felt gratifying. Did he finally.. Figure out how to talk to his dad? 

“I will look into it, I cannot promise you an immediate change.”

“That’s fine. Would it be okay then, if I picked clothes from my closet in the meantime?”

“As long as it’s from the brand, I suppose that will be fine..” 

Adrien smiled, crossing his cutlery over his plate. Meeting time was over, and he had two parts of his plan in motion, things could not have gone any better. On the inside he was squealing with joy, on the outside, all he did was stand up calmly, push his chair in and grab his school bag. 

“I appreciate your time today, father, thank you,” and he was making his way to the door, victory buzzing through him so hard he could feel it in his fingertips. 

“Wait, Adrien.”

His hand froze in front of the door knob and he looked behind his shoulder. His father had followed him out of the dining room, and walked closer and closer until he stood before him. Adrien had no choice but to turn around. He couldn’t remember the last time he was this close to his father and he wasn’t in trouble. 

“Yes, father?” 

  
“I need to know why you want to change the way you dress,” he offered no elaboration, and Adrien couldn’t give him the truth. He could not admit to his father that he wanted to shake Lila Rossi to the core, establish his dominance in ways that weren’t so direct. 

Adrien brought his knuckle to his lip in thought, “Well, I suppose that answer is easy. What I’ve been wearing since I’ve started school is really childish, isn’t it? And it doesn’t represent the nature of the brand it’s supposed to represent. That, and I want more freedom to experiment with my own fashion choices. Show that I understand fashion the same way my father does..” 

His father’s hand grasped his shoulder, and the smile on his face made Adrien feel warm inside, like he was finally doing something right. Is this what love from a parent.. Really felt like? 

“Then you should change now.”

Adrien let himself beam then, “Thank you, father.” He wouldn’t waste time, this was an opportunity he would not let out of his reach, not this time! 

***  
He counted himself lucky for being able to catch his father early enough that he was able to change clothes and get to school on time. The outfit change was simple, but classy, something that would turn heads even if that wasn’t his goal. 

His real goal with having a wardrobe change so drastic was to remind Lila who had experience in the fashion world, and who faked it to get to where she was. If he was being honest, the rompers she chose to wear on a daily basis fell out of fashion about six months ago, the trend was deader than a doorknob.

But, there were some things that would never fall out of style. Textures, patterns, cinched waists, luxurious fabrics. Not that he was wearing any of that. When his father gave him permission to change he opted for a neutral colored sweater tucked into tawny colored slacks. A simple outfit, but add an expensive belt with a lucrative ‘G’, ankle cuffs, and leather oxford shoes and he fit a classic aesthetic. 

It didn’t take long to spot his friends, and he ran over without a second thought, looping his arm around Nino’s without a second thought, immediately diving into whatever conversation he missed, 

“Good morning everybody,” he chirped. 

“Adrien! Dude- whoa, yo. Did your dad give you new clothes or something?” 

  
He shook his head, “Nope, this morning I asked if it would be okay to choose how I dressed. Does it look okay?... It looks okay, right?” 

Nino laughed, “You look freaking awesome!”

Alya nodded, “No kidding, I didn’t think you had fashion like this in you.” 

“Hey, my dad is a fashion designer. Good taste runs in my blood.” 

Nino snorted, “Yeah, right, your orange converse said otherwise.” 

“Ugh,” Adrien rolled his eyes, “It was a phase, let me live.” 

“Never.”

“You’re the worst,” Adrien looked around again, it looked like Marinette was late again, which didn’t really surprise him. He really wanted to get her opinion on his outfit though, maybe when they got to class, he would ask then. 

Another look around showed that Lila was on her way over, and she looked furious. Of course, when Alya followed his line of sight and looked at the girl, her expression went soft as she skipped over. 

Lila wedged herself by Adrien’s side and he purposefully went as stiff as possible as her arms wrapped around his bicep.

“Adrien,” she cooed, “What’s with the outfit? Aren’t you like on a contract to wear your dad’s clothes all the time?” 

  
She was playing dumb, he could handle dumb. He was blonde, after all. 

He smiled just as dumbly, “Oh, actually, Lila. I asked my father for permission to start dressing myself how I want to.” 

Her eye twitched slightly, “Really?” 

“Yeah! It’s great, it’s just the right amount of freedom I’ve wanted lately. Plus, these are his clothes,” he pointed to the belt, “Everything I’m wearing is from our brand.” 

He heard Alya kiss her teeth and whistle as she turned away. If she could sense the tension, that meant he was doing a very good job. 

“No offense, but I don’t think your father would design such an interesting...sweater.” 

Adrien let his smile fall from his face, and he blinked, not once, but twice, on purpose. He would let the tension build, just for now. He couldn’t act too differently, that would tip Lila off. 

“This sweater?” He gestured to himself, “Is number 007 from my father’s 2006 fall collection, it’s basically vintage now. I thought you were a fan of my father’s brand?”   
Lila’s cheeks turned a furious shade of red, and Adrien kept talking. 

“Obviously, this used to be his, actually. I was only two when the collection came out, I got to wear it for a photoshoot last year for winter, and he let me keep it.” 

“Wait, so your old man used to wear that sweater?” Nino looked shocked, which Adrien wasn’t expecting.

“Mhm, he and my mom.. They uh, had matching ones, so..”

His friend walked to his other side and put a hand on his shoulder, a great comfort against the weight of Lila bearing down on his other arm. She finally got the idea and let go of him, at least, it did not however, stop her from running her mouth. 

“Wow, I can’t believe your father would wear something like that.”

Adrien looked down at her, and kept his face blank. His father had always been one for looking distinguished in public, but Adrien could also remember a time where his father used to relax at home. 

That was a long time ago, though. Truthfully he chose this specific sweater because he knew the emotional value it held to his father. 

He came back to himself and shook his head, “Then you must not know him very well.” 

Lila looked like she was about to speak, but lucky for everyone, the bell rang. He felt Nino’s hand move to his back and slowly push him towards the stairs. 

“You okay dude? I can’t believe she was bally enough to say that to you.”

Adrien laughed it off, “It’s fine, it’s fine, really, she didn’t know.”

“If you say so, you looked really ticked for a second there.”

He shrugged, “I dunno what you’re talking about, I think I’m just tired, I had to get up early to talk to my father.” 

“Oh shit, you guys actually talked? That’s a first.”

Adrien was well on his way to elbow his best friend in the ribs but before he could, Alya’s head popped between them. 

“You have to spill, Adrien. What did you talk to your dad about?” 

He pushed her head away and heard her snort out a laugh before shoving his arm off. 

“Nothing that important, well- this,” he pointed to his clothes again, “But, we talked about reducing my work load so I can study for final exams.” 

A bright smile lit up across Alya and Nino’s faces, and Adrien kept talking, 

“Which basically means, I can study with you guys now!” 

“No way!” 

Adrien grinned, pushing open the classroom door for his friends. He watched them take their seats and kept his gaze focused on the back of Lila’s head as she walked in after them. Once she was up the steps to her seat, he peeked into the hallway. 

Marinette must’ve overslept. He closed the door and went to his desk, unpacking his notebook for their first lesson of the day. If she was late, he would make sure to take great notes for her. 

***  
When the dismissal bell rang, Adrien couldn’t have been happier. It felt like teachers decided to make things more complicated right before exams were supposed to start. He was satisfied though, his notes were perfect for Marinette. She didn’t come to school at all, and Adrien figured she must’ve been feeling under the weather, and at such an important time at that. 

He flipped through his notebook once more, admiring his bullet-pointed, color-coded sections with pride. He’d make sure to stop by her parents’ bakery before he went home so he could drop it off. 

That was at least, until two hands slammed against the top of his desk, and he couldn’t stop the way he jumped, looking up slowly. 

Lila smiled down at him, as fake as saccharine, he could see the malice behind her eyes. 

“Ready to go to our shoot, Adrien?” 

He shook his head, “Oh, I’m not going today, you’ll be going by yourself.” 

“What?!” 

At that point everyone was turning to look at them, the room suddenly so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Adrien had to choose his words carefully. 

“I talked to my father this morning,” he said, “I asked to postpone some of the shoots so that I could study for finals. Besides, you have enough experience now to go without me,” he offered her a patient smile. 

Her brow twitched, and she looked like she didn’t know what to say. Adrien waited with baited breath as she slowly leaned towards his face, her lips pursing- Jesus Christ she was trying to kiss him. 

Adrien grabbed his bag and with the skill that came from being Chat Noir, flew backwards out of his chair, successfully bashing his head against where Marinette would typically sit. 

Which was a huge mistake, holy crap, he seriously couldn’t see anything for a split second. 

“Adrien- you’re so overdramatic,” Lila snickered but no one else around them laughed. 

His vision blurred as he tried to get back onto his feet, pressing his hand against the back of his head on the way up. He felt Nino’s hand on his arm, helping him the rest of the way. 

“Are you okay?” 

He needed to get words out, now, “Y-yeah just… seriously caught off guard,” he picked his bag up off the ground, “I need to get home for a chinese lesson, I’ll uh.. I’ll text you.” 

He didn’t look back at the class as he walked out, it really felt like a walk of shame but he couldn’t help but smile once he was far enough away. Sure, hitting his head was totally not part of the plan. Realistically, he was trying to exit as quickly aspossible, he wasn’t sure what bug got up his ass that made him jump back like that. 

But he knew his class had the rose-tinted glasses Lila affixed to their faces removed, even if just for a split second. 

He won his second small victory.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hihihi thank u for reading this chapter. I don't rlly have an upload schedule, so whenever I finish a chapter, i'll just post it. Hence why chapter two came a day after chapter one, my fingers are lighting fast. if u have any comments or critiques pls leave them below and if u want more ML content pls follow my tumblr @razndazzle where im truly on my top foolery hehe. 
> 
> tyyyy, see u next chapter bbies!! muah muah muah!!


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lila moves her piece, Adrien and Alya come up with a plan. Alas, if only Adrien hadn't bonked his head.

He was woken up to the loud siren of his alarm clock, and he was barely able to roll over to shut it off. His brain felt like it was pounding against his skull, maybe doing patrol right after falling into a desk wasn’t his best idea but he wasn’t keen on disappointing Ladybug and just skipping out, even if it was his solo patrol.   
  
“Kid, you good?”  
  
“Yeah, ‘m fine,” he turned on his lights with a simple push of a button but it still made his head ache. There was nothing he could do about, maybe pop a few tylenol and hope for the best.   
  
“You sure about that?”  
  
Adrien turned to his kwami, and shrugged, “Not much I can do about it for right now, once this week is over, I’ll make sure everything goes back to how it used to.”  
  
“Don’t you mean, after you get revenge on Lila?”  
  
“It’s not revenge,” he made his way down towards his closet, “It’s more like… exposing, besides. It was bound to happen at some point, I’m just expediting the process a little.”   
  
Plagg cackled behind him, “More like a lot, not that I’m complaining. I’m glad you’re finally standing up for yourself, kid.”  
  
“You are?”  
  
“Of course, it’s like watching a baby bird spread his wings, you just gotta make sure you don’t crash and burn.”  
  
Adrien rolled his eyes, “Thank you for that.”  
  
“You’re very welcome, now hurry up, you’re gonna be late dragging ass like this!”   
  
“Okay, okay, sheesh, I’m hurrying.”   
  
***

He wasn’t late for school, thank god. But it was eerily quiet on the way in, maybe everyone else was taking finals seriously? He wasn’t quite sure, at least until he walked into class.   
  
The last time Adrien walked into chaos like this, it was fashion week in Milan, and a shoe broke, nobody ever found the heel. A quick glance around the room did nothing to tell him what was going on either, a group of girls were gathered in the corner, he heard crying, but the only girl that wasn’t there was Marinette.   
  


And Marinette was glaring at him with an intense gaze he hadn’t seen since his first day of school. Something wasn’t right, he could feel it.   
  
“Uhm, what’s going on?”   
  
Marinette gestured her head towards the group of girls, as they started to walk off, glaring at him the same way Marinette did, and in the middle of that group was Lila.   
  
Who was aggressively sobbing her eyes out before her hands drew away from her face, and she too was glaring at him but he didn’t feel nearly as offended as he should be.   
  
He knew it was an act, whatever she was crying about, he knew he didn’t do anything, but it didn’t seem like anyone else was convinced. Did they somehow forget that she called her lying an illness? Were they seriously still believing her?   
  
“Lila, what’s wrong?” Patient, he would be patient. He needed to play as cool as possible if he wanted any chance of smoothing this over.   
  
“You know what you did! Ugh, I can’t believe you,” she sniffled, wiping away a fake tear with a single finger.   
  
Adrien tilted his head to the side, “I..I don’t, actually.”   
  
There was a brief, collective gasp across the room. Adrien swore he heard some whisper ‘he doesn’t remember.’ How can he remember something that didn’t happen?   
  
Lila stood up and jabbed his finger in his chest, and Adrien took a step back but she kept crowding into his space.   
  
“You told your father I was a terrible model! He told me that all of the shoots this week were canceled.”   
  
Oh.  
  
Oh, he could not control what his father told Lila. This was quickly blowing up in his face.   
  
“I.. I only asked him to postpone them, Lila, we have finals and-”   
  
“Liar!” She pushed at his chest, and he nearly missed the backwards step down. He didn’t know what to say. What could he say? He didn’t control what his father said to her. Hell, Adrien could bet money that she was exaggerating what he actually told her.   
  
Lila’s hands trembled, “You ruined my career and my reputation. I can’t believe you! You’re so-”   
  


Adrien tuned out, he could hear his heartbeat roaring in his ears as he stared at Lila. This was worst case scenario was happening right in front of him. He felt like he was living through his first day of school all over again but a million times worse.   
  
“Enough, Lila, he gets it,” Alya’s voice cut through the cacophony in his head, clear as day. He didn’t know when Alya stepped between him and Lila but he was grateful.   
  
“You’re gonna defend him, Alya? I thought you were on my side,” Lila put her hand to her heart, “Even Marinette thinks that what he did was like, super messed up.”   
  
He needed to say something, do something, but he couldn’t. His throat felt painfully tight, he had never been good at thinking on the spot, ever. Adrien’s entire life ran by planning in advance, what could he even do that wouldn’t make him seem worse in his classmate’s eyes?   
  
“He can’t control what his father tells you! Be realistic here, Adrien doesn’t run his father’s company, Gabriel does. We _all_ know that,” Alya’s gaze went to Marinette, and the other girl looked pointedly the other direction.   
  
Which hurt, a lot.  
  
“Whatever,” Lila turned away, “Defend him all you want, it doesn’t change what he did.”   
  
“Yeah,” Alya pulled him back towards his desk, “It doesn’t change what _you_ do either, c’mon Adrien. Madame Bustier will be here soon.”   
  
Adrien nodded wordlessly, and walked back to his desk with Alya. Nino had already moved to sit next to Marinette, and if looks could kill...  
  
The worst part was, he didn’t even know what to say. He couldn’t speak at all, he felt completely silenced in the worst place possible. Was he really doing the right thing here?   
  
He didn’t know, and he couldn’t really say for sure anymore. But, he couldn’t think about it anymore, Madame Bustier walked in and he was able to distract himself with schoolwork, at least for a little while.   
  
*** 

It was obvious his class was giving him the silent treatment, which he supposed was better than being directly mean to his face. By the time lunch hour came, he at least had a plan of escape. He would hold himself up in the library under the guise of studying, and come up with a plan there. At least people would leave him alone now.   
  
He managed to get halfway down the hall before he heard racing footsteps coming his way, and he was lucky he turned to look over his shoulder in time. Alya had chased him down. Why?   
  
“Adrien- where are you going?”   
  
“To the library, why?”   
  
“I thought..” she took a deep breath in, “Geeze, you walk fast.”  
  


Adrien chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck, “Sorry, got a lot on my mind.”   
  
“I can tell, here, let’s go together.”   
  


“You don’t have to,” he didn’t want Lila to start making up rumors about Alya, too. She didn’t deserve to get mixed up in the mess he made.   
  
Alya shook her head and took his hand, leading him right up the stairs to the library.   
  
“Well, I want to, so you gotta deal. Honestly, I needed to talk to you anyway.”   
  
Adrien looked down at the floor as she led him inside the library. They passed rows of shelves, and then tables. Alya took them to the furthest table in the library, shoved next to the window and in between two dusty bookshelves.   
  
Incredibly private, although Adrien couldn’t remember if he ever went into the library. Maybe Alya scouted this spot a long time ago. He sat down before unpacking his bag. Marinette never gave his notebook back so he took out a different one. It wasn’t like he needed it, he knew he wouldn’t be terrible on the exams in Madame Bustier’s class. History and literature always came easy to him.   
  
“Adrien!” Alya snapped her fingers in front of his face, “I’m talking to you.”  
  
“Sorry, spaced out for a sec.”   
  


Alya frowned and set her own stuff on the table, “Okay, like I was saying. What did you even say to Lila?”    
  


“I didn’t tell her anything.”

“Right.. Then what did you tell your dad about her?”   
  
Adrien sighed, “Nothing major, just that she makes a lot of the photoshoots run late.”  
  
“She does?”   
  
He nodded, flipping his textbook open to where they left off in class, “Yeah, especially if it’s not something she’s interested in or she feels like she doesn’t look right. She argued with a hair stylist for an hour and a half, once, it wasn’t a very good day.”   
  
“Jesus, that’s insane. Well, I guess your father told her what you thought.”   
  
Adrien shrugged, “He probably gave her a vague answer, my father doesn’t ride along specifics most of the time. I don’t really care what she has to say about me though, I know what I told my father, and she’s spinning it into something bigger than what it is.”   
  
“I see,” Alya hummed, tapping her pen against her book. “She has a habit of that, doesn’t she? I still can’t forget what she did to Marinette.”  
  
“I’m glad I’m not the only one who hasn’t forgotten.”  
  
She snorted, “No kidding. I can’t believe she’s pissed at you too.”   
  
Adrien looked up at her and shrugged again, “My best guess is that she told Marinette something different than what she told the rest of the class. Probably something, ahem,” he put the back of his hand to his forehead dramatically, “Superfluous and so grandiose that she just couldn’t help but believe her.”  
  
Alya started laughing, “ _Adrien._ ”   
  
He backed off, putting his hands under the table, “Sorry, too much?”   
  
“No,” she shook her head and smoothed her hair out of her face, “It was what I needed, Lila seriously stresses me out, and Marinette has not shut up about her today.”   
  
Adrien couldn’t fight the way he rolled his eyes. Irritation throbbed under his skin like an inch he couldn’t quite scratch. He wasn’t angry at Marinette, she didn’t know, and Adrien didn’t want her to know. Hell, he doubted that Lila knew his warning was crumbling into nothing.   
  
“You look stressed, y’know, that’s not good for your skin.”  
  
“I’m just irritated,” he flipped over a page in his book just to have something to do and not look at Alya.”   
  
“I bet. You know, I wanted to ask how your head was doing but I think I just got the answer.”   
  


“You are the journalist here,” Adrien smiled, and finally looked at her. Alya was a very earnest person, always honest and straightforward about how she felt. Adrien admired her for that, and he could see why she and Marinette were such good friends.   
  
Good friends… but Alya was here with him, not her, “Shouldn’t you be with Marinette?”  
  
Alya rolled her eyes, “She’s got Nino right now, she’ll be fine.”   
  
“But.. you’re her best friend.”   
  
“Yep,” she popped the p at the end of the word and shut one of her books with a purposeful slam, “And sometimes, best friends know when other best friends need to take a sec to chill. Besides, hanging with them doesn’t feel right when you’re not there.”  
  
He didn’t think it would, “I thought it would be like.. Old times.”  
  
“How do you mean?”   
  
“Oh- uhm.. I just assumed that all of you were friends before, like, in primary school?”   
  
Alya laughed, “Gosh, don’t be silly. I was a transfer too, just like you. Your first day was also mine.”   
  
He felt dumb, “I..”   
  
“Don’t worry about it, but, we need to talk.”   
  
“Aren’t we talking now?”   
  
She shook her head, and shut all of their books one by one. With the way she crossed her arms over the table, she looked like a classic Bond villain.   
  
“Not small-talk, I’m talking plan talk.”  
  
Plan talk. Adrien liked plan talk, “I’m listening,” he decided to follow her lead. He leaned back in his seat and crossed one leg.   
  
“I think we should start a rumor of our own.”   
  
“What?”  
  
“Hear me out,” she tapped the table, “Nothing like Lila does, and not about other people. We should start a rumor about us.”   
  
“About us?  
  
“Yeah, here, let me write it down so we don’t forget.”  
  
“Good idea,” Adrien wasn’t sure if this would stick in his head. Ever since he went backwards into Marinette’s desk, all of his thoughts felt weirdly fuzzy, like electrified cotton. He’d get it checked out once he finished the runway show.   
  
Alya typed quickly on her phone, and without looking up starte rattling off questions, “Are you still with Kagami?”  
  
“No,” he answered simply. Alya’s brows raised with wonder but she didn’t ask, which felt good. She was the first person he told, of course, there was no dramatic breakup to be had. Kagami told him she wanted to be friends again until she could figure something out, and Adrien was glad she did it, and not him, because he felt the same.   
  
“Mmkay. Well, I think I’ve come up with a few things. One, we could take pictures that make us look like we’re getting close, bordering on being a couple.”   
  
Adrien remembered the picture Lila posted of her kissing his cheek, “I don’t really like that.”   
  
“No problem, I’ve got more. Two, I start seriously hanging out with you, like, a lot.”   
  
“I’d have to talk to my father about that.”   
  
Alya grinned, “Or, we could just take pictures that make it seem like we’re hanging out all the time.”   
  
“We could.. But why?”  
  
“Revenge, Adrien. Lila thinks she has everyone under her thumb, and you know what, you’re breaking out of your shell.”  
  
“I am?”  
  
“Look at you! You’re wearing button ups, sweaters, and not orange converse. It’s a total glow up. Come on, Adrien, you’re Paris’ golden boy, everyone cares about what you’re doing.”   
  
Adrien deflated, “Yeah..?”   
  
Alya’s eyes sparkled, “So, we use that to our advantage. You have a new girl bff-”  
  
“Wait, my father doesn’t let me post casual pictures like that all the time, there’s no way he’ll let this slide, at all. I’m verified.”   
  
“Exactly, _you’re_ verified, I’m just a girl that runs a blog.”   
  
He felt the proverbial light bulb go off in his head, “So, you’ll post the pictures.”  
  
“Mhm, and all you have to do is look super cute and photogenic.”   
  


“Well, at least it’s something I already know how to do. What else will be in this.. Revenge plan?”

Alya drummed her fingers against the tabletop, “Can’t suppose Kagami would want in on this?”   
  
The answer flew out of his mouth before he could consider his words, “She hates Lila, explain the plan to her, and I’m pretty sure she’ll want in.”   
  
“Really?”   
  
“Mhm, I have a fencing competition after school, if you come, you can ask her.”   
  
“Well, don’t mind if I do then,” Alya typed a few more things into her phone before going back to the table. She opened up their books again, picked up a pen, and handed Adrien another.  
  
He took it and smiled as Alya extended her arm for a selfie.  
  
“Call this part one,” she said before snapping the picture, “Now then… here’s the plan.”   
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hihihi chapter three, yay! I struggled to write this chapter bc it's transitioning into the mEAT of what this fic is supposed to be and i get sad when adrien sad :(. if u liked this fic pls feel free 2 leave a comment below or follow me on razndazzle@tumblr.com for sillier miraculous content!! see u in the next one buddies. (ALSO if the format of this is weird... idk google docs keeps... fuckin bein weird idk man)


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien finally inacts his vengence and definitely has a crush on Marinette, good lord, being in highschool is stressful isn't it.

“Ladybug is going to kill you!” 

“I know, Plagg. That’s why I just need to tell her I can’t patrol for the rest of this week.” 

“You passed out, twice!” 

Adrien rolled his eyes, yanking his cellphone out of his bag, “I know, I was the one who passed out! I should’ve told her about my head, but it’s kind of too late for that, now.”

“It wouldn’t be too late if you would’ve ate before your stupid fencing competition!” 

Adrien wheeled around, pointing his phone at his kwami, “I did eat, thank you very much.”

“Powerade and a bite of a cookie does not count as a meal!”

“I have a runway show this weekend, I’m not supposed to eat heavy anyways,” he quickly opened the app he and Ladybug decided to use, an encrypted service that needed three separate passwords to get into. They both agreed to only use it for emergencies, and communications like this. 

  
It saved them both the trouble of activating their miraculous just to have a five minute conversation, especially if one of them wasn’t on patrol at the time. 

Adrien’s fingers tapped across the screen clumsily, 

need out of patrols for the rest of the week. Got concussion, dw I’m fine, just can’t do anything that messes my head up more :3. Call me if it’s an emergency!! 

He hit send with a sigh, leaning against the cool tile of his bathroom wall. His head hadn’t stopped pounding since he went into Marinette and Alya’s desk. But, he couldn’t tell his father yet, he just needed to get the show, and finals, done and over with. 

Plagg flew back into his line of sight, “A real meal, Adrien.” 

  
“I can’t.”

“Why not!?” 

Adrien sighed again, through his nose this time, “I dunno, I’ve never been able to keep food down when I’m stressed. Used to be a huge problem when I was a kid, like, I went to doctor’s appointments all the time.”

“So, you’ve been stressed since birth, basically?”

“I mean, kind of? I just, don’t really feel hungry right now.”

Plagg deflated and pressed against his cheek, his fuzzy head a comforting warm weight against the sea of cold he had been feeling lately. 

“You better eat something before school. Aren’t finals important to you humans?”

He nodded, “Yeah, they are-” 

His phone buzzed twice, and he looked at the screen, expecting a message back from Ladybug. 

Instead he was greeted with two instagram notifications. Alya must have posted the pictures then. At least she tagged him. He opened the app up and smiled. 

She posted the picture from the library, and the pictures they took together with Kagami. He was glad that Kagami was willing to join in on their plan. Of course, she called it simple, but Adrien didn’t want to inflect too much damage. 

He saved the picture of all three of them together. Alya stood in the middle, an arm around Kagami’s shoulder, and Adrien stood next to her. Alya looked more put together than both of them. Even with Alya’s editing, both he and Kagami were flushed and sweating from the competition. 

Alya even put in a cheesy caption, it was so like her, apparently she was going to interview Kagami about fencing for a softer piece on the Ladyblog, put less focus on the seemingly endless akuma attacks. 

Although, there hadn’t been an akuma all week. Adrien would bet they would run into one on the weekend. Things always seemed to end up that way with his luck. 

But, it was nice. He really did like that picture. Kagami even posted it on her own account, no caption of course, but it already had a lot of likes, mostly from their fencing community but still. 

“Remember the plan, kid.”

“I know,” he shut his phone off. He couldn’t get lost in his feelings. He knew now how he would have to handle the situation with Lila. Adrien would do the same thing he did with his father, turn off every emotion he had about her and treat her solely like a business partner. Any emotion he had towards her would be spun, that was for certain.

He wasn’t going to let her take advantage of that, not this time. 

***

Adrien finished his literature exam before everyone else. Three essays analyzing three different books and their meanings later and he sat idly with nothing to do. Alya was still writing next to him, and the room was so quiet a hair could drop and everyone would hear it. 

It was the middle of the day, and the sunlight pouring in from the large classroom windows warmed his skin. Maybe he could go for a walk outside before he had to come back in for his chemistry exam. 

He collected his test booklet and sealed it with the stickers provided before he got up. Adrien didn’t have to look around the room to see that everyone had briefly looked up at him. He didn’t care, he finished first, so what? 

But, for some reason he still felt his chest tighten when he laid his packet down on Madame bustier’s desk, even when she smiled brightly at him and gave him an affirming thumbs up. 

“Madame,” he whispered, “May I go for a walk since our next exam isn’t for another half hour?” 

Madame Bustier nodded, “Just keep your eye on the clock.” 

Adrien smiled and walked right out the door without a second thought. He needed air. He had never been on the receiving end of the class’ judgement, at least not so harshly. The tension was so high, and it had only been a day. Was this truly the highschool experience?

He felt like he was in a movie, honestly. None of this really felt like it could be real. He listened to the way his heels clicked against the hardwood stairs as he made his descent into the school courtyard. 

He was greeted by the sweet summer air when he got outside, and he took a moment for himself. Adrien turned his face towards the sky and felt the breeze as it wafted through his hair. 

What would his mother say, if he told her what was happening in his life? Would she comfort him, offer him advice? Adrien imagined she would probably do both. They’d sit together in the garden and she’d tell him what she would do if she was in a situation like his while they planted new flowers together. 

Tears stung at his eyes, he couldn’t think about her. Not right now, it wasn’t the time, but he couldn’t help it. He was used to being alone, but this… obviously isolating disdain his class now held for him…  
He needed to pull himself together. Adrien clenched his hands into fists and took a shaky, grounding breath in, and then back out. He was an Agreste, and he wasn’t going to let this get to him. He would take it like a model, straight forward, eyes locked on the prize. 

*** 

His return to the classroom was met with the shunning he was steadily becoming accustomed to. Everyone else was in their own conversations, luckily. Nobody paid him any mind until he sat back down. 

Lila Rossi’s boots clicked down each step down, and he braced himself as her arms looped around his shoulders. The contact felt nauseating, like the lead ball that had been in his stomach all week was about to come bursting out. 

“Adrien,” she cooed, one of her hands reaching up to fluff his hair. She was playing her games again, and the room once again went eerily quiet. 

Composure, he needed to keep his composure. He squared his shoulders, refusing to meet her foxy gaze, “Lila.” 

“Awe, you addressed me by name, I’m glad. You know I was totally just kidding about yesterday, right?” She leaned against him more, “I thought it’d be good to shake you off your game before your runway show this weekend. Won’t that improve your modeling skills?” 

No, it wouldn’t. Infact, it was probably making his skills worse. He didn’t even know what he wanted to say to her. What would his father say? Lila Rossi, that is not how modeling works. You’re terminated. Adrien couldn’t fire her. 

But… his mom would say something like, 

“It’s rather unbecoming to make up stories about people, don’t you think? I see why my father reduced your workload.” 

“What?”   
  
Adrien cleared his throat, and removed her hands from his shoulders as he turned to look at her,

“I don’t believe I stuttered.” 

“Wow.. wow, Adrien. I didn’t expect you to change your tune so quickly. You really are a big jerk.” 

He smiled, “Thank you, I’ll be sure to let my father know how you feel about me.” 

“And why would you do that!?” 

Adrien examined his nails, repressing his urge to feel startled by how blue his nail beds were. 

  
“So that my father can stop scheduling us on shoots together. I wanted to remain professional at work, and at school. I thought that would be the best way to communicate with you.” 

Lila laughed with a dangerous edge, “You..” 

Adrien looked over at Alya, “That’s.. How you’re supposed to treat the classmates you work with, right?” 

Alya nodded, “I mean, yeah. You get paid for those shoots, you don’t get paid to be friends.” 

“Stay out of it Cesaire!” 

He looked up at Marinette instead, “What do you think, Marinette?” 

Marinette’s eyes widened and she looked between both of them, “I uhm- you want m-my- you guys are fighting-” 

Lila stood in front of Marinette, “She can’t even get out a sentence. Focus one me you idiot-” her eyes widened the moment she realized her mistake. 

“Whoa-” 

“C’mon, Lila, that’s too far. You’re harassing the guy.” 

“You should seriously drop it.” 

Adrien looked back up at Lila as the class started whispering to each other about her outburst. He looked past her though, and back at Marinette. 

The look on Marinette’s face was something he would remember for the rest of is life, and after that. Marinette wore a look of pure glee and enjoyment, as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders in that very instant. 

She was beautiful, breathtaking, stunning. Adrien couldn’t think of enough words to describe Marinette in that very moment. She was everything gorgeous, all at once. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hihi okay so this might b the last chapter for a hot second bc i started college and i need to focus on my studies for a bit! Might switch to doing once a week updates or somethin like that!!! but in the meantime. i made a playlist for this fic https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6dQLxbvKzRnayMZF5Nseg0 bAH! and if u wanna follow me for more like. updates hehe. i do have a tumblr @razndazzle 
> 
> tyty ty sm for reading!! if you have any comments u wanna share pls leave em below bc i eat that shit up!!

**Author's Note:**

> YOO you made it to the end, thank u for reading. This is going to be a multichapter work I just don't have any clue how many chapters yet bc I change my mind every five seconds abt what I wanna do. I also take suggestions/prompts on my tumblr @razndazzle and if you have any questions pls feel free to leave them below or contact me there! I also post headcanons and silly things so if ur waiting for an update, check my tumblr out!


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